Ag society excited to announce entertainment roster for Strathmore Stampede

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Strathmore Agricultural Society is kicking into high gear to prepare for the upcoming Strathmore Stampede, slated to return over the August long weekend.

Events coordinator for the Strathmore Stampede Kate Dubois said the team is in full swing with preparations to make this year’s event bigger and better than ever. 

“This year, we’re bringing back Cobb’s Adventure Park, they’re going to be bringing back their animal exhibits as well as a few other fun items like archery and a few additional rides,” said Dubois. “We also have Kisling Farms who are bringing their goats and a few other animals, and then we also have the CanAm wrestling group that are coming to the grounds who are going to be showing off their wrestling moves and doing little mini shows and mini camps.”

Cobb’s Adventure Park will be replacing the Wild Rose Shows midway, according to a release, however, the team will have a surplus of activities for all ages to enjoy. 

For those looking for musical events, the Friday night concert is making a comeback, among several other stage performances to look forward to over the weekend.

“We had a great time last year with Gord Bamford, so we’re excited for our Friday night concert with the James Barker Band and Garrett Gregory … so we’re very pumped to see what kind of crowd we get coming out,” said Dubois. “We do have, in terms of people who are performing, we have Joel Ostrom and the Tin Star Band coming back, as well as Chris LeBlanc. As for new people though, performing on the stage we have Shannon Smith and Lindsay Butler who will be playing some great tunes.”

The Strathmore Stampede has committed to bringing back the fireworks show on Sunday night (weather permitting), however Friday fireworks post-concert have yet to be confirmed.

The trade show that accompanies the festivities will also be making its return, though it has been relocated out of the curling club for ease of access and to prevent those interested from potentially getting lost. Now located in the Remuda building, the Strathmore Stampede team is encouraging those who come to check out the show to pay a visit to the vendors who will be set up inside. 

Dubois added there are a handful of ideas from last year that the team is also working to emphasise and bring into the limelight.

“Our goal is to always get bigger and have more people come out and experience what the Strathmore Stampede is really like, especially after last year’s amazing turn out,” said Dubois. “We’re trying to emphasize more on our beer gardens as well as our other events like the Friday rodeo, Friday chuck wagons and Monday combo championship.”

The team is also looking for a surplus of volunteers to come out and help the show run smoothly. According to Dubois, it takes roughly 400 people to operate the Strathmore Stampede and the more hands on deck, the better.

More information can be found, including entertainment, concert, and rodeo options, on the Strathmore Stampede website. 

The Strathmore Times is also the exclusive creator and distributor of the Strathmore Stampede Guide, filled with everything you need to know about the stampede. The guide will be inserted into the July 20 Strathmore Times newspaper and will be delivered directly to your mailbox.